The Gospel today aims to show how Luke can put together several events to bring home the message he wants to focus on. The scene symbolizes how many of the Jews rejected Jesus, while the ostracized Gentiles readily accepted Him. The woman of Zarephath and the Syrian Naaman represent the Gentiles in general. Many in Israel denied Him, a sign of what is to come - they will try to drive Him out of their cities and eventually be successful in crucifying and putting Him to death.

After the baptism of Jesus - from Judea, He returned to Galilee and started His public ministry, which includes preaching in synagogues. - Immediately, news of His preaching and the power of the words of Jesus rapidly spread, and His fame preceded Him everywhere. - His listener marveled at His teaching and were astonished by the authority of His Words. Because of this, more and more people flock to His preaching to hear Him. Words about Jesus slowly reach the ears of Jewish authorities; they start to come or send someone to ask questions or argue with Him.

One of the things about Scripture is that even the smallest word and shortest phrase can be critical to the overall message. When you take a quiet moment to rest with the Word, you find how quickly the most mundane sentence can reach out and grab you, pulling you into a deeper contemplation of some truth you hadn’t even considered until then.

“If every flower wanted to be a rose,” wrote St. Therese of Lisieux, “spring would lose its loveliness.”

Who is God asking you to be today? There is an obvious answer that springs to mind right out of the gate. God wants me to be a good person (a good father, a good husband) today; today, God wants me to be a saint.

But this answer fails to get to the heart of the question. We are all striving today to serve the same Spirit, but we are given different gifts to do so. The one who has the gift of knowledge may fail if today he decides he wants to be a healer. The one who has the gift of “varieties of tongues” might falter in the expression of wisdom.

Think about the wedding at Cana and the players in the scene: the servers, the guests, the bride and groom. They all have a unique role to play, and though it is to the servers that Mary gives the instruction, “Do whatever he tells you,” her words apply to all.

Today, are we called to be the servers — do we wait on God’s instruction and carry it out, no matter how foolish or impossible it may seem to our human ears? Are we asked to be the disciples, to bear witness to a miracle and to give our testimony? Are we called to imitate the Blessed Mother herself and give encouragement to follow God’s word?

Let us examine our gifts and listen in the silence of our hearts to the direction of the Spirit. Then and only then, let us do whatever He tells us.

— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS

The Gospel of the wedding at Cana shows how John the Evangelist could present the earthly dimension and reveal its divine mystery. His narrative is what the theologian Henri de Lubac describes as the spiritual interpretation of Scriptures: “The spiritual meaning is, then, found in all sides, not only or especially in a book, but first and foremost in reality itself.” Divine mysteries and realities are present in and revealed in the ordinary events of salvation history.

To understand the theological implication of the event at Cana, we go back to Jewish Shavuot, or Pentecost, commemorating the giving of the Torah and the covenant at Mt. Sinai. When the Lord offers a covenant relationship to Israel after bringing them out of Egypt, the people responded: Everything the Lord has said, we will do. (Ex. 19:8)

“Who is this Christ? Is he like you?”

Perhaps you’ve heard this story, often attributed to the life of St. Teresa of Calcutta. A sick man asked her this question, as he marveled at her tireless service to himself and others in the name of someone named Jesus Christ.

“He is nothing like me,” the saint is said to have answered. “But I hope I am like him.”

Though the authenticity of this exchange cannot be verified, its message rings perfectly true: all the value of our stewardship lies in its relativity to the one in whose name we perform it.

Consider the figure of John the Baptist — a magnificent, towering character even purely from a literary or historical perspective. A martyr who fed on wild locusts and boldly spoke truth to power — a man so great some mistook him for the Messiah.

But why is he great? Because he prepared the way. All his accomplishments and escapades mean nothing if they are taken out of the context of salvation history. He only makes sense relative to Christ — and this is exactly as he wanted it. “One worthier than I is coming,” he insists. And because of that humility and that total embrace of God’s will, he is given one of the greatest honors in the New Testament — he baptizes the Son of God.

Let’s examine our lives in the light of their relativity to Christ. How do we prepare the way? When Christ comes to us, what do we do? How do we leave ourselves open to be actors in God’s plan?

— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS

John the Baptist fulfills his role as the precursor of the Messiah - proclaiming a baptism of repentance. He is the voice in the wilderness crying out: Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. People begin to wonder if John might be the awaited Messiah. John is quick to dismiss this claim by saying that someone mightier than him is coming, he baptizes with water, but He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.

If you own a television that has been turned on at any point in the last month or so, chances are you’ve caught at least a scene or two of the 1946 classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

If you’re not familiar with the movie, it follows the life of George Bailey from childhood through adulthood. A dreamer by nature, George has big plans for himself that involve world exploration and adventure — but family and community obligations keep him tethered to the same spot on the map, leading an altogether ordinary life.

The Feast of the Nativity of our Lord reinforces the truth of His real identity; that He is true God and true man, the incarnate Son of God. The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world, one who gives light to all nations. His light invites us into the radiance of the saving promise of God. The Second Vatican Council calls this radiance: Lumen Gentium, Jesus Christ as the “Light of All Nations.”

Throughout the Infancy Narrative, we hear almost nothing about the things that Jesus did or said. Most of the time, we learn something about Him from the actions and words of other people and in the few events of the narrative. But from the beginning, at the Annunciation, for example, the angel Gabriel revealed Jesus as the Son of God (Lk. 1:35). At His baptism, a voice from heaven says: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. (Lk. 3:22) And in the Gospel v.49, Jesus refers to God as His Father. The finding of the lost Jesus in the Temple is the only event that breaks the silence of Scriptures about the childhood of Jesus. About the mystery of His total consecration to the mission that flows from His divine Sonship. (CCC, 534)

At first glance, we can often find the image of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and the Christ Child intimidating — who are we to aspire to that level of discipleship? How could we ever hope to conform ourselves to that mold? Sometimes, it can even be painful — perhaps we hail from a broken family or struggle with a broken relationship within our family, or perhaps we long to be a mother or a father ourselves and that state in life has eluded us.

The last Sunday of Advent Gospel before Christmas describes the scene of the 2nd Joyful Mystery, The Visitation. Elizabeth seeing her cousin, blessed with the gift of knowing Mary’s motherhood of the Son of God: cries in a loud voice: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (Lk. 1:41-42) She should not have been able to proclaim this event; because she does not fully comprehend what happened. The Holy Spirit fills Elizabeth’s heart with joy; the nearness of the baby in the womb of Mary made it possible for the child in her womb to leap for joy at the presence of the mother of God.

The third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday” or the “Sunday of Joy.” The pink candle in the advent wreath is lit today as a symbol of joyful anticipation of the coming of Christ in glory and commemoration of his first coming in Bethlehem on Christmas Day.

Depending on how your mood is today, the words of Paul will hit you differently. “Rejoice always,” he tells us. Well, if your football team is poised to win this weekend or next, maybe you’re really feeling this vibe. But if you’ve got a long slog at work ahead of you this week and a to-do list that only seems to grow and never shrink, it may make you grumble. “Rejoice always? Always? When I’m tired? Cranky? When I’m sick of doing and giving? Thanks, Paul. I’ll be sure to scribble that phrase on a Post-It and stick it to my dashboard for when some entitled punk inevitably cuts me off on tomorrow’s morning commute.”

In Lk. 3: 1-6, we hear of John the Baptist proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, coming from the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” What are the road blocks in our journey to God’s heart?

The ultimate aim of man is to be one day with Jesus Christ, the source of life and who gives eternal life. He is the incarnation of the love of God comes into flesh: I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (Jn. 10:10) Advent is that renewed preparation and desire to meet Jesus worthily when He comes. The Collect (Opening prayer) this Sunday captures this desire: Grant your faithful, we pray, Almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds and His coming, so that gather at His right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.

Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King, the King of the universe. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are all part of His Kingdom, thus must remain loyal and faithful to Him. For if we truly belong to Him, we should know His truth and listen to His voice. Today, we hear so many voices in our journey of life, and sad to say, often we allow the noise of the world to drown the voice of the Good Shepherd, Christ the King. He is the King of the Universe; if we listen attentively to His voice, He wants to share His victory to all who have FAITH in Him. His Kingdom is of TRUTH and LOVE.

The Solemnity of Christ the King marks the final Sunday of the liturgical year. As we approach this solemnity, the readings reflect the end time. The Gospel of Mark tells us today that the end will come, and only God the Father knows when it will happen. “The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” When it comes, the Catechism tells us: “At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. Then the Just will reign with Christ forever, glorified in body and soul, and the material universe itself will be transformed. God will then be all in all (1Cor. 15:28), in eternal life.” (CCC 1060)

Today, the Church teaches us about the importance of sacrifice. The highest form in salvation history is the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. “But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.” The Lord sacrifice His life as an offering for the sins of humanity. His death is the ultimate sacrifice; His resurrection opened the way for us to receive the gift of eternal life. Eternal life for us is this: That we believe in the one true God, and His only Son, Jesus Christ inviting us to share in the mission by offering our lives to Him and with Him. The first reading and the Gospel give us an example of this kind of sacrificial offering.